Falcons fall short of district title

The Severna Park boys soccer team could not have asked for a better game to get itself ready for the region playoffs.

The Falcons fell to Howard County champion Marriotts Ridge, 1-0, in the District V championship game at Arundel High School and in the process got a taste of what the soccer will be like over the next three weeks.

"They reminded me a lot of Broadneck. They play a very similar style. They're fast, aggressive, disciplined and skillful," Severna Park coach Roy Dunshee said. "It was not something we haven't seen before, but it's something we're going to need to cope with in the state tournament."

The game, which replaced the old county championship, pitted the regular-season champions from Anne Arundel and Howard counties against each other. The Falcons, who finished in a three-way tie with Broadneck and South River, earned a berth by virtue of their better overall record.

Marriotts Ridge clinched its spot by beating River Hill Friday to wrap up its second straight Howard County title.

Severna Park (13-2) had a chance to break through midway through the first half, but Nathan Wallace was stopped on consecutive shots by Marriotts Ridge goalkeeper Patrick Moore. Jared Fenton was able to gather a second rebound, but his drive was turned back by Sean Martin.

"It was all Marriotts Ridge in the first 10 minutes, but when the game settled down, I thought it was very even," Dunshee said. "We had a flurry of activity in the first half where we had a few good chances and should have scored."

Marriotts Ridge (14-1) got on the board 10 minutes into the second half when Kareem Najib took a perfectly-placed lead pass from Stephen Milak, split a pair of defenders and was able to loft the ball over the outstretched hands of Severna Park goalkeeper Gavin Snyder.

"It was a well-placed ball and a great finish," Snyder said. "There was not a lot I could do."

Severna Park had a few chances to tie the score, but Fenton missed just wide 30 seconds after Najib's goal, and Karl Dempsey sent a left-footer wide a few minutes later.

Snyder finished with four saves for Severna Park, which had won six in a row since a 1-0 loss to Broadneck on Oct. 2.

Moore stopped 10 shots for Marriotts Ridge, which recorded its seventh straight shutout.

"It was going to be a matter of who scored first and who was going to be able to shut things down in the back," Marriotts Ridge coach Kevin Flynn said. "It's a good test going into the playoffs to get a team this good and well-coached."

Severna Park enters the Class 4A East region playoffs as the No. 3 seed and will get a bye in the first round before facing either Annapolis or Old Mill in the quarterfinals.

The Falcons have nine shutouts and have outscored the opposition, 36-5.

"We'll lick our wounds and shake this off," Dunshee said. "There are a few things we need to work on, but overall, I am very pleased how our guys played."

Severna Park (13-2) 0 0 - 0

Marriotts Ridge (14-1) 0 1 - 1

GOALS: MR - Najib. ASSISTS: MR - Milak. SHOTS: SP - 11; MR - 10. SAVES: SP - Snyder 4; MR - Moore - 10.